Support Speedy Sally: Great Classroom Strategies for GT Kids
One of the biggest struggles teachers identify with their gifted students is the "I'm Done!" problem. (For the reverse issue, see this information about perfectionism.) Author Carol Tomlinson shares these anchor activities, "or tasks to which students automatically move as soon as they complete an assignment" to help students to stay engaged and learn to value learning time (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 46).
Other ideas include offering tiered assignments. "Tiering assumes that within a particular lesson or product, a wide range of students should work toward the same knowledge, understanding, and skills. However, it acknowledges the varied readiness levels of students in approaching the task and thus presents the work at different levels of difficulty" (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 79).
Other ideas include offering tiered assignments. "Tiering assumes that within a particular lesson or product, a wide range of students should work toward the same knowledge, understanding, and skills. However, it acknowledges the varied readiness levels of students in approaching the task and thus presents the work at different levels of difficulty" (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 79).
What Not to DoReferred to as "classic misuses" of gifted children, please don't make your gifted kids do these (Davis, 2006):
1) Tutor slower-achieving students. It helps the slow kids, but doesn't teach the brighter kids how to do anything -- except tutor. 2) Give them busy work. Instead, look for enrichment activities that go beyond the grade level. (You may want to consider curriculum compacting.) And, please, stay away from worksheets! 3. Give them more and harder work. Kids often complain about feeling punished for being bright -- maybe even leading to underachievement to avoid the extra nonsense. |
In Their Own Words |